Seed-grader.



R. W. TIPTON.

SEED GRADBR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1913.

1 1 25,603, Patented Jan.'19, 19 15.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., F'HDTOLITHO. WASHINGTON. D c

R. W. TIPTON.

SEED GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1913.

1,125,603. Patented Jan. 19, 1215.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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. q o I I g 45 witnesses. .EZZ/dflibi? A fw- I W y NORRIS PETERS c0.PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D C.

RALPH W. TIPTON, OF INDIANOLA, IOWA.

SEED-GRADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1915..

Application filed September 2, 1913. Serial No. 787,802.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, RALPH W. TIPTON, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Indianola, in the countyof Warren and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Seed-Grader,of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a seed grader of simple anddurable construction, particularly adapted for use in connection with oras an attachment to a clover or timothy threshing machine.

A further object is to provide a seed grader of the kind mentioned,having screens constructed and arranged to separate timothy, clover andother seeds.

Still a further object is to provide a seed grader adapted to separatetimothy and clover seeds and after their separation to subject them to adraft from a single fan.

Still a further object is to provide means for imparting vibratorymotion to the framework carrying the riddles or screens.

Still a further object is to provide means for directing and controllingthe currents of air from the fan.

Myinvention consists in certain details,

grader, embodying my invention, and Fig.

V 2 shows a central, longitudinal, vertical, sectional view through myimproved seed grader. f r

In the accompanying drawings. I have used the reference numeral 10 toindicate generally the frame on which my improved seed grader is mountedor supported. The r ddles and operating mechanism are ins closed withina casing 11, the bottom of which is inclined from its ends downwardlyand approximately toward the center of said casing and may be open atits lower end. On each side the casing 11 is supported upon the frame 10by means of swinging links 12 and 13. The'links 12 at one end of thecasing 11 are shorter than the links 13 at the other end for thepurposes which will be hereinafter described.

Mounted on the frame is a shaft 14. Mounted within the casing 11 is acasing 17 of substantially cylindrical form, the

particular description of which will be hereinafter more fully setforth. WVithin the casing 17 a transverse shaft 18 is mounted upon theframe 10. On the shaft 18 is a fan 19. On the shaft 18 is a belt pulley20 in line with the belt pulley 21 on the shaft 14. A belt 22 travels onthe pulleys 20 and 21. At the ends of the casing 17 are end members 23,which are slidably adjustable and may be opened to permit air to enterthe casing 17 from the ends thereof. On the end members 23 are handles24 for sliding said end members. Formed in the casing 17, on each sidethereof, are horizontal longitudinal openings 25. Hinged to the easing17 along the lower edge of each opening 25 is a wing member 26 which maybe swung upwardly or downwardly upon its hinged points for directing andcontrolling the current of air driven by the fan through the opening 25.The construction of the wing members 26 on each side of the casing 17may be substantially similar.-

Secured to the edge of each wing member 26 is a bolt 27 which extendsthrough a curved slot 28 in the wall of the casing 11 and is screwthreaded at its outer end to receive a thumb or wing nut 29. By means ofthe bolt 27 and the nut 29 the wing members 26 may be secured to thecasing 11 in any position of their movement. Slidably mounted on thewalls in the casing 17 above each of the openings 25, is a movable covermember 30., The cover members 30 may be mounted in any suitable way.Bolts may be secured to them and extended through slots in the casing17. The said bolts should be screw threaded to receive thumb nuts 31.whereby the cover members 30 may be secured to the casing 17 in anyposition of their movement. The casing 17 is large enough to permit thevibratory motion hereinafter described even though the casing 17 ismounted on the casing 11 and the fan 19 is mounted on the frame 10. Forimparting vibratory motion to the casing 11 I have provided an eccentric32, which is fixed off center on the shaft 14. Mounted on the eccentric32 is a collar 33, secured to an arm 34, which is pivoted to the casing11. I provide a similar eccentric and arm on each side of the casing 11.

I will now describe the arrangement of theriddles or screens in thecasing 11. I provide a hopper 35 at the top of the casing 11, near oneend thereof. Receiving seed discharged from the hopper is a riddle orscreen 36, the openings in which are comparatively large. Straw andlarge material is discharged from the lower end of the screen 36. Asshown and as preferably constructed the end of the casing 11, at whichthe hopper is situated, is slightly higher than the other end. Arrangedin line with each other and parallel with the screen 36, below saidscreen 36, are screens 37 and 38. The screen 37 is below the upperportion of the screen 36 and the screen 38 is below the lower portionthereof. The screens 37 and 38 are separated by the frame member 39. Thescreen 37 is of finer mesh than the screen 38 and is of proper mesh topermit timothy seed and similar seeds to pass through it but not largeenough to permit clover seed to pass through it. The screen 38 is offiner mesh and passes the clover seed. Heavier or larger material isdischarged at the lower end of the screen 38. Below the screen 37 is ascreen 40, designed to further separate the clover and timothy seed andbelow the screen 38 is a similar screen 41. The screens 40 and 41respectively are of slightly finer mesh than the screens 37 and 38.Below the screen 40 is a solid bottom 42, whereby the grain which haspassed through the screen 40 and is carried to points approximately inthe middle of the seed grader and is discharged upon the screen 43. Thescreens hereinbefore described, except the screen 43, are all inclinedfrom the hopper end of the machine downwardly and toward the other end.The screen 43 is inclined from the middle of the machine downwardly andtoward the hopper end thereof. As the grain passes through and dropsbelow the screen 43 it is subjected to a current or draft of air fromthe opening 25 in one side of the easing 17 and dirt and fine chaff areblown outwardly while the seed drops upon the screen 44. The screen 44is of very fine mesh, such as will not permit timothy seed to passthrough but large enough to permit the passage of red top and other verysmall seed. The timothy seed passes downwardly from the screen 44 intothe receptacle 45. Red top and other fine seed and line dirt dischargedthrough the screen 44, are dropped upon the board 46 and discharged onthe ground or into a suitable receptacle. The upper portion of thescreen 41 has a solid bottom 47 which carries the seed dischargedthrough the screen 41 toward the lower end of the casing 11 and drops itin position to be caught by the draft of air from the fan. The cloverseed, after being subjected to said draft of air, is then dropped uponthe screen 48, which permits very fine seed or fine dirt to passthrough. The clover seed is dischargedin the receptacle 49 and the dirtand the like is discharged upon the inclined bottom 50 from whence itpasses to the ground or to suitable receptacles.

In the practical operation of my improved seed grader, the shaft 18 isconnected with any suitable source of power. Thereby the fan is operatedand the shaft 18 is rotated, whereby the casing 11 is vibrated. Onaccount of the fact that the links 13 are longer than the links 12 apeculiar motion is imparted to the riddles or screens, whereby they arevibrated from end to end and one end is raised higher than the other.The material on the screens is thereby thoroughly agitated. Material isfed to the upper screen 36 through the hopper 35. Some of the grainspass through the upper end of the screen 36 upon the screen 37. Othergrains pass through the lower end of the screen 36 upon the screen 38.Straw and larger material is dis charged as tailings from the lower endof said screen 36. The screen 37, as hereinbefore mentioned, is ofproper mesh to permit timothy seed to pass through it. The larger cloverseed will not pass through the screen 37 although the smaller cloverseed may sometimes do so.

Any clover seed which passes through the screen 37 is too large to passthrough the screen 40 and on account of the vibration is carrieddownwardly over the partition 39 between the screens 40 and 41 to thescreen 41. Timothy seed and smaller seed pass through the screen 40 tothe solid bottom 42 by which they are carried to the upper end of thescreen or riddle 43. The seed dropping through the screen 43 issubjected to the blast of air from the fan whereby it is cleaned andseparated from dust, chaff and fine particles. Timothy seed dropped uponthe screen 44 is conveyed to the receptacle 45 while finer seed, such asred top, passes through the screen 44 and is discharged upon theinclined bottom 46. Clover seed, passing through the screen 38, isdischarged therethrough upon the screen 41 and thence downwardly uponthebottom 47 or pastthe end thereof, when it is subjected to the blast'of air from the fan. Glover seed dropping upon the screenv48 isdischarged into the receptacle 49 while dirt and finer particles passthrough said screen and are discharged upon the bottom 50.

It will be understood that conditions in threshing clover and timothyseed vary considerably and I have, therefore, provided the wings 26fordirecting and regulating the draft from the fan 19.

It will readily be seen that by varying the position of the slidingcover members 30 the amount and strength of the draft may be varied asdesired. In some cases it may be desired toclose one of the openings 25entirely and this can be done by means of the cover member 30.

My improved seed grader has a large number of advantages, many of whichmay be readily seen from the foregoing description. The arrangement ofthe screens for separating the clover and timothy seeds is believed tobe new and to furnish proper and efiective means for accomplishing thepurpose. The arrangement of the finer screens for separating red top andfiner seeds from timothy is believed to accomplish a result not workedout by any of the gradcrs or threshing machines now made. By thearrangement of my screens I am also enabled to use the same fan fordirecting a blast of air in two directions so that the same fan blowsthe dirt and chaff from the timothy seed after they are separated. Thedirection and strength of the blast of air through both the clover andtimothy seed maybe completely controlled by means of the wings 26 andthe sliding covers 30.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of theconstruction of my device without departing from its essential featuresand it is my intention by this application to cover any such changes inconstruction which may be included within the scope of the appendedclaims:

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing, a hopper above theforward end thereof to deliver grain to the interior of the casing, aseries of parallel screens inclined downwardly from the hopper end ofthe machine and extending substantiallyto the other end thereof, saidscreens being made with holes varying in size from the largest in theupper screen to the smallest in the lower screen, the upper halves ofthe screens below the top ones having holes smaller than those in thelower halves, solid bottoms beneath the upper halves of the lowermostscreen parallel therewith, a screen arranged to receive the grain fromthe delivery end of the forward bottom, inclined downwardly andforwardly, a screen arranged beneath the delivery end of said lastscreen and inclined downwardly and rearwardly, one of said bottomsarranged below and parallel to the lowermost one of said first series ofscreens, extending from a point near the middle thereof to a pointspaced from the lower end thereof, and a screen below the delivery endof the last screen inclined downwardly and forwardly.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing, a hopper above theforward end thereof to deliver grain to the interior of the casing, aseries of parallel screens inclined downwardly from the hopper end ofthe machine and extending substantially to the other end thereof, saidscreens being made with holes varying in size from the largest in theupper screen to the smallest in the lower screen, the upper half of thescreen below the top one having holes smaller than those in the lowerhalf, a solid bottom beneath the upper half of the lowermost screenparallel therewith, a screen arranged to receive the grain from thedelivery end of said last screen and inclined downwardly and forwardly,a bottom ar ranged below and parallel to the lowermost one of said firstseries of screens, extending from a point near the middle thereof to apoint spaced from the lower end thereof, a screen below the delivery endof the last screen inclined downwardly and forwardly, and a fan arrangedto deliver a blast of air through the grain falling from the secondbottom and also to deliver a blast of air through the grain falling fromthe screen below the first bottom.

Des Moines, Iowa, June 20, 1913.

RALPH V. TIPTON.

lVitnesses L. ROBINSON, L. J. BARNEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

